Atlantica No. 4, 2010, July-August - Iceland Review

on the flyPhoto BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSONThe Long,Long WayHomeCheetah, killer whale, Arctic Tern. The latter may sound an unlikelycontender for nature’s greatest athlete, yet the small but elegantseabird migrates more than 70,000 kilometers every year—thelongest trek of any creature—to get back home to breed in Iceland.The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) flies from its Arctic breedinggrounds to the Antarctic and back again each year. This 19,000 km(12,000 mile) journey each way (measured point to point) ensuresthat the bird sees two summers per year and more daylight thanany other creature on the planet. Scientists used tracking devicesattached to the birds to find out that the above examples are notunusual for the species. Eleven Arctic Tern that bred in Greenlandor Iceland each covered 70,900 km on average in a year, with amaximum of 81,600 km. The difference from previous estimates wasbecause the birds were found to take a meandering course to takeadvantage of prevailing winds.The average Arctic Tern lives 34 years, and will travel about 2.4million kilometers (1.5 million miles) in its lifetime. The Arctic Ternis a medium-sized bird around 33–36 cm (13–15 in) long, witha wingspan of 75–80 cm, and weighing 86–127 g (3.0–4.5 oz).Breeding begins around the third or fourth year. Arctic Terns matefor life and, in most cases, return to the same colony each year. Thediet of the Arctic Tern varies depending on location and season, butis usually small fish, such as sand eels.So next time you enter an Arctic Tern colony and get pecked inthe head, show some respect. This cosmopolitan bird is only tryingto defend its sparsely made nest. PS a4 atlantica